Man gets new trial in Chicago honor student’s death

CHICAGO (AP) — A state appeals court has ordered a new trial for the man accused of gunning down a Chicago honor student just days after she had performed at Barack Obama’s 2013 presidential inauguration. Micheail Ward was found guilty in connection with the death of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton in 2018 and sentenced to 84 years in prison. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the 1st District Appellate Court ruled Friday that detectives improperly extracted a confession from Ward during an interrogation after he invoked his right to remain silent. A spokesperson for Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said the office was reviewing the matter to determine the next legal steps.